Summer is on its way out. Paris is entering its second week of the dreaded la rentrée, back to school and back to the grind. Here is one last lingering memory of my summer, breakfast for one at La Cigale in Nantes. Note the long-lost latte and the unparalleled crème caramel au sel de Guérande.

By the way, don’t forget to read how I’m surviving la rentreehere, my first collaboration with the delightful HiP Paris Blog.

And we’re back. Phew! The worst part about all the vacations in France is the constant ‘rentree’ or begrudgingly going to back to reality. I can always sense the day of the rentree. Parisiens walk the streets grumbling with their heads held lower. I can hear more crying babies in the distance. The Paris sky is a little bit more grey than usual. Chatter is instantly consumed with talk of the next vacation. And ‘watch your step’ refers rather to the deposits of naughty dogs than to Alpine ice.

But Spring is about to put all the grey days to rest! The trees are on the verge of blooming. And the 5 bank holidays in May will swiftly bring the summer vacation. Oh, and there’s the two-week Easter vacation somewhere in between, too.